RACES 81 



Christmas. ^ly thoughts would sometimes revert to the 

 scene that had so dazzled my understanding in St. 

 James's Square. I had been at races — at Epsom in 

 particular, as well as in other sporting circles, where I 

 had witnessed and partook of the excitement, in a small 

 way, that sucli meetings generally produced, where the 

 qualities of the different animals were exhil^ited, and 

 their merits decided by what appeared a fair competition. 

 A numerous and joyous assemblage gave animation to 

 the scene, and few were those of any class who did not, 

 from some cause or other, feel inclined to have a little 

 venture on a favourite animal. But this was far away 

 from that deep-set, ardent and demoniacal spirit of gaming 

 I for the first time was introduced to by Monops. At 

 the time I did not give it much consideration ; only 

 wondering how one of his grade could find his way 

 among men who appeared to belong to a very diff'erent 

 class. 



On my return to town, I found he had, by undeniable 

 assurance, obtained employment, having been put on a 

 new Birmingham day-coach, started in opposition. I 

 was very much annoyed at his being preferred to me, 

 and more by the proprietors telling me that he was more 

 fitted for it than I was ; they not giving me even a 

 distant prospect of success. T resorted in a pet to the 

 scene of my former success, where I soon exhausted what 

 I had left of my ill-gotten gains. 



To the uninitiated — that is, to any but the heartless 

 reveller in the orgies of a Pandemonium — where all the 

 evil passions of our nature are developed — success and 

 loss are equally destructive of moral obligations and 



VOL. II. G 



